Wind Enegy Indonesia

Background

Wind is a form of solar energy. The uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth's surface, and rotation of the earth cause winds. Wind flow patterns are modified by the earth's terrain, bodies of water, and vegetation. Humankind uses this wind flow, or motion energy, for many purposes, to name a few: flying a kite/zeppelin, sailing, grinding grain, pumping water, and even generating electricity.

The terms wind energy or wind power describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity.

A wind turbine works the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity. Large and modern wind turbines operate together in wind farms to produce electricity for utilities, while homeowners and remote villages, to help meet their energy needs, use small turbines.

Indonesia has relatively available potential site for wind energy utilization, but its utilization is still low. Currently, research and efforts are continuously conducted to open the possibilities of increasing the wind energy utilization.

Advantages/Disadvantages of Wind Energy

Despite its disadvantages, wind energy offers many advantages, which explains why it's the fastest-growing energy source in the world. Research efforts are aimed at addressing the challenges to larger use of wind energy.

Advantages

1. Because wind energy is fueled by the wind, a clean fuel source, it makes wind energy a clean energy. Wind energy does not pollute the air like common power plants that rely on combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas. Wind turbines do not produce harmful emissions that cause acid rain or greenhouse gasses, so it is environmentally friendly.
2. Wind energy is a domestic source of energy, produced in the Indonesia . The nation's wind supply is relatively available (especially in the eastern part).
3. Wind energy relies on the renewable power of the wind, which cannot be used up. As already mentioned, wind is actually a form of solar energy.
4. Nowadays, wind energy is one of the lowest-priced renewable energy technologies available. Depending upon the wind resource and project financing of the particular project, wind energy cost less than 6 cents USD per kilowatt-hour (for potential site with wind speed > 5 m/s or offshore).
5. Wind turbines can be constructed on farms or ranches, thus benefiting the economy in rural areas, where most of the best wind sites are found. Farmers and ranchers can continue to work the land because the wind turbines use only a fraction of the land. Wind power plant owners make rent payments to the farmer or rancher for the use of the land.

Disadvantages

1. Wind power must compete with conventional generation sources on a cost basis. Depending on how energetic a wind site is, the wind farm may or may not be cost competitive. Even though the cost of wind power has decreased dramatically in the past 10 years, the technology requires a higher initial investment than fossil-fueled generators (and even other renewable based generators).
2. The major challenge to using wind as a source of power is that the wind is intermittent and it does not always blow when electricity is needed. Wind energy cannot be stored (unless batteries are used); and not all winds can be harnessed to meet the timing of electricity demands.
3. Suitable wind sites are often located in remote locations, far from cities where the electricity is needed.
4. Wind resource development may compete with other uses for the land and those alternative uses may be more highly valued than electricity generation.
5. Although wind power plants have relatively small impact on the environment compared to other conventional power plants, there is some concern over the noise produced by the rotor blades, aesthetic (visual) impacts, and sometimes birds have been killed by flying into the rotors. Most of these problems have been resolved or greatly reduced through technological development or by properly siting wind plants.

General Condition in Indonesia

• Wind energy development is part of national energy program in order to realize a sustainable supply and utilization of energy.
• There are some potential locations in the country for wind energy utilization.
• Installed capacity for wind power is relatively still small compared to its potential.

WATER POLLUTION

A change in the chemical, physical, biological, and radiological quality of water that is injurious to its existing, intended, or potential uses (for example, boating, waterskiing, swimming, the consumption of fish, and the health of aquatic organisms and ecosystems). The term “water pollution” generally refers to human-induced (anthropogenic) changes to water quality. Thus, the discharge of toxic chemicals from a pipe or the release of livestock waste into a nearby water body is considered pollution. Conversely, nutrients that originate from animals in the wild or toxins that originate from natural processes are not considered pollution.

The contamination of ground water, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and oceans can threaten the health of humans and aquatic life. Sources of water pollution are generally divided into two categories. The first is point-source pollution, in which contaminants are discharged from a discrete location. Sewage outfalls and oil spills are examples of point-source pollution. The second category is non-point-source or diffuse pollution, referring to all of the other discharges that deliver contaminants to water bodies. Acid rain and unconfined runoff from agricultural or urban areas are examples of non-point-source pollution. The principal contaminants of water include toxic chemicals, nutrients and biodegradable organics, and bacterial and viral pathogens.

Water pollution can threaten human health when pollutants enter the body via skin exposure or through the direct consumption of contaminated food or drinking water. Priority pollutants, including dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), persist in the natural environment and bioaccumulate in the tissues of aquatic organisms. These persistent organic pollutants are transferred up the food chain (in a process called biomagnification), and they can reach levels of concern in fish species that are eaten by humans. Finally, bacteria and viral pathogens can pose a public health risk for those who drink contaminated water or eat raw shellfish from polluted water bodies. See also Environmental toxicology; Food web.

Contaminants have a significant impact on aquatic ecosystems. for example, enrichment of water bodies with nutrients (principally nitrogen and phosphorus) can result in the growth of algae and other aquatic plants that shade or clog streams. If wastewater containing biodegradable organic matter is discharged into a stream with inadequate dissolved oxygen, the water downstream of the point of discharge will become anaerobic and will be turbid and dark. Settleable solids, if present, will be deposited on the streambed, and anaerobic decomposition will occur. Over the reach of stream where the dissolved-oxygen concentration is zero, a zone of putrefaction will occur with the production of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and other odorous gases. Because many fish species require a minimum of 4–5 mg of dissolved oxygen per liter of water, they will be unable to survive in this portion of the stream.

Direct exposures to toxic chemicals is also a health concern for individual aquatic plants and animals. Chemicals (e.g., pesticides) are frequently transported to lakes and rivers via runoff, and they can have unintended and harmful effects on aquatic life. Toxic chemicals have been shown to reduce the growth, survival, reproductive output, and disease resistance of exposed organisms. These effects can have important consequences for the viability of aquatic populations and communities. See also Insecticide.

Wastewater discharges are most commonly controlled through effluent standards and discharge permits. Under this system, discharge permits are issued with limits on the quantity and quality of effluents. Water-quality standards are sets of qualitative and quantitative criteria designed to maintain or enhance the quality of receiving waters. Receiving waters are divided into several classes depending on their uses, existing or intended, with different sets of criteria designed to protect uses such as drinking water supply, bathing, boating, fresh-water and shellfish harvesting, and outdoor sports for seawater. For toxic compounds, chemical-specific or whole-effluent toxicity studies are used to develop standards and criteria. In the chemical-specific approach, individual criteria are used for each toxic chemical detected in the wastewater. Criteria can be developed to protect aquatic life against acute and chronic effects and to safeguard humans against deleterious health effects, including cancer. In the whole-effluent approach, toxicity or bioassay tests are used to determine the concentration at which the wastewater induces acute or chronic toxicity effects. See also Hazardous waste; Sewage disposal; Sewage treatment.

Indonesia Diambang Krisis Energi

Kegiatan pembangunan di Indonesia mengarah kepada industrialisasi, sehingga energi menjadi isu utama dan penting dalam kerangka menunjang model pembangunan tersebut. Krisis energi, terutama listrik, yang pernah terjadi menjelang akhir abad ke-20 mengisyaratkan bahwa suplai energi listrik tidak dapat mengimbangi tingginya laju permintaan. Pertumbuhan konsumsi energi listrik sebesar 15% per tahun cukup menakjubkan di mana hal ini juga setara dengan tingkat pertumbuhan energi total secara umum, yang mencapai di atas 8% per tahun pada kurun 1965-1980 –yang mana hal ini jauh di atas tingkat pertumbuhan energi negara industri sebesar 3% per tahun.

Seiring dengan meningkatnya konsumsi energi adalah meningkatnya permasalahan lingkungan hidup, mulai dari produksi energi (pertambangan dan proses pembuatan energi primer), transportasi (penyaluran) energi primer, produksi dan transmisi, serta distribusi energi sekunder (listrik). Pada areal pertambangan sumber energi fosil (seperti minyak bumi, batubara dan gas alam) terjadi perubahan bentang alam dan dampak terhadap lingkungan hidup yang harus menjadi perhatian. Demikian pula halnya dengan dampak lingkungan yang diakibatkan oleh beroperasinya pembangkit tenaga, baik tenaga gerak maupun tenaga lsitrik.

2 Tahun Lumpur Lapindo: Dua Tahun Rakyat Diabaikan

Jakarta, 27 Mei 2008 – Bencana luapan lumpur Lapindo di Kabupaten Sidoarjo, Jawa Timur, sudah berlangsung dua tahun. Hingga kini, lumpur Lapindo terus menyembur. Selama itu pula hak rakyat ikut dikubur. Hingga Selasa (27/5), semburan lumpur sudah menggenangi 14 desa di tiga kecamatan. Seluruh infrastruktur, seperti jalan tol, jalan raya, dan rel kereta, alami kehancuran perlahan. Namun, sejauh ini belum ada upaya konstruktif dilakukan untuk menyumbat sumber masalahnya. Padahal, tragedi kemanusiaan ini mengakibatkan semakin banyak warga yang tergusur dan menanggung kerugian moril dan materiil.

“Luberan lumpur Lapindo telah menjebak banyak pihak. Tak hanya menyengsarakan warga korban, semburan lumpur juga menjerat anggaran negara. Padahal, telah jelas tercantum dalam amar putusan majelis hakim Nomor 384/PDT.G/2006/PN.JKT.PST tanggal 27 November 2007 bahwa, ’semburan lumpur akibat kekuranghati-hatian pengeboran yang dilakukan Lapindo karena belum terpasang casing atau pelindung secara keseluruhan,’” tegas Ivan Valentina Ageung, Manajer Litigasi WALHI.

Seperti diketahui, Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI) dan Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI) diputus kalah di tingkat pengadilan negeri. WALHI menggugat Lapindo mengenai perbuatan yang membahayakan lingkungan, sedangkan gugatan YLBHI menyangkut pelanggaran hak asasi manusia.

“WALHI akan terus memburu penjahat lingkungan sesuai prosedur hukum. Meski dinyatakan kalah di tingkat pengadilan negeri, upaya banding telah ditempuh WALHI, yakni dengan didaftarkannya upaya banding ke Pengadilan Tinggi DKI Jakarta pada Januari 2008 lalu,“ seru Ivan.

Ketidakpastian hukum kasus lumpur Lapindo memperjelas kelemahan pemerintahan SBY. Di bawah ketiak korporasi, keduanya tak bisa berbuat banyak. Bung Hatta mengatakan, “lebih suka melihat Indonesia tenggelam ke dasar lautan daripada melihatnya sebagai embel-embel abadi daripada suatu negara asing.” Ini pula yang dialami oleh warga korban lumpur Lapindo di desa-desa Kecamatan Porong, Sidoarjo, Jawa Timur.

Kini, luapan itu menyebabkan ribuan warga kehilangan tempat tinggal, sawah, dan pekerjaan, serta mengalami stres, ketakutan, dan kekerasan. Budi (33), salah seorang korban yang tinggal di tepi Jalan Tol Porong-Gempol mengurai kejengkelannya, “Ada permainan politik, dan yang pasti pemerintah belum berpihak kepada rakyat. Namun, kami tak akan menyerah”.

Setali tiga uang, Berry Nahdian Furqan, Direktur Eksekutif Nasional WALHI juga menegaskan, “negara dan Lapindo belum berbuat maksimal untuk memulihkan kerusakan lingkungan dan hancurnya kehidupan yang dialami warga korban. Rakyat menilai, negara justru tunduk di bawah kaki Lapindo”.

Sikap WALHI

Sejak Mei 2006 silam, WALHI bersikap bahwa PT Lapindo Brantas harus bertanggung jawab sepenuhnya terhadap kejahatan kemanusiaan dan lingkungan yang terjadi di Porong, akibat kelalaian aktivitas pengeboran di Sumur Banjar Panji I, Porong, Sidoarjo.

“Sebelum kondisi semakin buruk, sehingga tidak dapat dikendalikan sama sekali, pemerintah harus mendorong Lapindo untuk segera menutup pusat semburan lumpur dan menuntaskan tanggung jawabnya terhadap korban,” ujar Ivan.

Pada Mei 2008 ini, PT Lapindo Brantas mengucurkan 80% dana sisa kepada beberapa korban semburan lumpur. “Hal lain yang harus dilakukan Lapindo adalah menyepakati mekanisme lain sebagai wujud tanggung jawabnya kepada korban semburan lumpur Lapindo yang berada di Pasar Baru Porong, Sidoarjo; dan warga korban sekitar yang berada di luar peta terdampak,” tukas Berry.

Seperti diketahui, model penanganan yang dilakukan saat ini sebatas menunda peluasan luberan. Hal ini akan berdampak pada makin luasnya penghancuran daya dukung Kali Porong hingga ke Selat Madura, bahkan mengancam keselamatan masyarakat di sekitarnya. Luberan lumpur itu apabila dibiarkan akan memperburuk kondisi ekologi wilayah tersebut dan ekonomi masyarakatnya, terutama yang tinggal di desa-desa sepanjang Kali Porong.

Kini, kondisi kawasan itu semakin membahayakan. Sedikitnya 15 tanggul penahan lumpur jebol dan menggenangi kawasan sekitarnya. Hingga pertengahan Mei ini, ada sekitar 90 semburan lumpur baru di sekitar rumah warga—semburan ini mengandung nitrogen dioksida (NO₂) yang mudah terbakar dan hidrokarbon (HC) yang beracun.

Di Siring Barat, misalnya, ditemukan hidrokarbon yang kandungannya lebih dari 266 kali ambang baku yang diperbolehkan. Gas itu tergolong berbahaya, bersifat karsinogenik—dapat menyebabkan kanker. Jika tidak segera dievakuasi, dampaknya terasa panjang.

Akhirnya, WALHI meminta pemerintah segera mendesak Lapindo Brantas Inc menghentikan semburan lumpur dengan pelbagai metode yang diusulkan banyak ahli pertambangan. Dari segi teknologi, banyak orang Indonesia yang mempunyai keahlian menutup semburan. Jika tidak ditangani segera, kondisi ini dapat menenggelamkan wibawa negara.